Back pay issue worries juvenile detention workers

Staff Writer kmcnutt@oklahoman.com

A change in the way overtime is calculated for detention officers and shift supervisors at the Oklahoma County Juvenile Detention Center has some workers concerned they won’t be paid enough and others worried they will owe the county money.

Oklahoma County commissioners plan to meet with Assistant District Attorney Aaron Etherington in executive session this week to discuss the issue.

“I don’t want anyone not to get paid for time they worked,” said Ray Vaughn, District 3 commissioner.

The Board of County Commissioners deferred action last week on a request for back pay employees say they are owed from July 2016 to July 2017 after four workers addressed the board.

The board approved claims of about $7,000 for holiday time worked as far back as January 2015, but decided to meet with Etherington before acting on the other claim.

Employees told the commissioners a change in how they are compensated for overtime hours worked is unfairly affecting their pay. Overtime for juvenile detention workers used to be counted as anything more than 40 hours in a week, but now is accrued after 172 hours are worked in a 28-day period. That change caused the issue.

“It’s not our fault,” said Tommy Brown, who has worked at the detention center for 10 years.

Brown said the change could cost him as much as $5,000 for time he worked before the change was made in November. “It’s a slap in the face because I have put in my time,” he said.

The 28-day cycle is the method used by the county, so the change puts the juvenile bureau in line with other county offices.

The Oklahoma County Juvenile Detention Center is licensed by the state Office of Juvenile Affairs with oversight by the Juvenile Division of the Oklahoma County District Court.

“It’s a bit of a hybrid,” Vaughn said, “which may be why the pay cycle was different.”

Shift supervisor Winnie Strong said it looks like she will owe the county money under the new method.

“I never thought something like this could happen. I’m still surprised,” Strong said. Working overtime is common at the 80-bed detention center, which must be staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Strong said.

“We were extremely short (staffed) for a long period,” she said. “It’s a tough position and it’s sometimes hard to keep them filled.”

The county uses compensatory time off for overtime worked, unless the employee cannot take the time off within 180 days, Vaughn said. Then the employee is given overtime pay.

The Board of County Commissioners has the responsibility to approve claims according to the county’s policies, said District 1 Chief Deputy Joe Blough.

“We want to treat you guys right,” Blough said. “The hope is to come to some type of resolution that is fair.”

Strong said she understands the commissioners have to follow policy and believes they want to treat the workers fairly. The employees were following the policy presented to them at the time, and would have managed their time differently had they known the method was going to change, she said.

“It’s not an easy job,” said shift supervisor Latoya Moore. “It’s just a matter of taking care of us, the employees.”